POLI 100: U.S. Political Parties, Voting, Campaign Finance, Media, Civil Liberties & Rights

Third Party (Minor Party)

A political organization alternative to the two major parties (Democrats and Republicans).

Impact on US Politics

While they rarely win, third parties play a critical role by raising new issues or solutions that the major parties often ignore (e.g., consumer rights, federal budget deficit).

Obstacles to Success

The American electoral system is fundamentally designed by and for the major parties.

Single-Member Districts/Plurality Voting

Elections generally use a winner-take-all system where the person with the most votes (plurality) wins the seat.

Ballot Access Rules

States, run by major parties, impose high hurdles for minor parties, such as requiring tens or hundreds of thousands of signatures to get a candidate on the ballot.

Presidential Debate Rules

Third-party candidates are excluded unless they demonstrate 15% support in national polls.

Public Campaign Funding

Third parties cannot access general election public funds unless they achieved at least 5% of the popular vote in the previous election.

U.S. Voter Turnout

The U.S. voter turnout is substantially lower than in most other advanced industrial nations.

VAP (Voting Age Population)

All residents over 18.

VEP (Voting Eligible Population)

U.S. citizens legally eligible to vote (e.g., 66.6% in 2020, the highest in over a century).

RV (Registered Voters)

The highest percentage measure, as the denominator is smaller.

Explaining Low Turnout

The U.S. uniquely places the burden of voter registration on the individual citizen.

Motor Voter Act (1993)

The National Voter Registration Act required states to allow citizens to register to vote when applying for or renewing a driver's license (at the DMV).

Automatic Voter Registration (AVR)

An 'opt-out' system where eligible citizens are automatically registered when they interact with government agencies.

Same-Day Voter Registration (SDR)

Allows citizens to register and vote on Election Day.

Expanding Access

Making Election Day a federal holiday, expanding early and no-excuse absentee voting.

Voter ID Debate

Republicans advocate for strict photo ID laws, citing concerns over illegal voting.

Empirical Data on Voter Impersonation

The rate of in-person voter impersonation is negligibly low (between 0.0003% and 0.0025%).

Democrats' Argument on ID Laws

Strict ID laws serve to disproportionately disadvantage the poor, elderly, and minorities who are less likely to have state-issued photo identification.

Socioeconomic Status (SES)

Citizens with higher SES (a composite of education, income, and occupation) are more likely to participate politically.

Education's Impact on Voting

The well-educated vote at over three times the rate of the least educated.

Older citizens

Citizens aged 65 and older who consistently vote at higher rates than younger citizens (18-20).

Women

Demographic that has outvoted men in every presidential election since 1980.

Party Identification

The strongest and steadiest influence on an individual's political behavior, especially in low-information elections.

Incumbency Advantage

The electoral benefit a current officeholder receives over a challenger.

Reasons for Advantage

Incumbents are generally better known, more experienced, and have significant advantages in fundraising.

Success Rate

Over the last 70 years, House incumbents running for re-election have won more than 94% of the time, and Senate incumbents over 83%.

Formidable Challengers

The most successful challengers are typically current or former officeholders who possess necessary experience, contacts, and fundraising ability.

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

A landmark Supreme Court decision that held that corporations and unions have a First Amendment right to spend an unlimited amount of money on political activities.

Super PACs

Independent expenditure-only political action committees that can raise unlimited funds from corporations, individuals, and unions.

Critique of Super PACs

Critics argue that Super PACs give disproportionate influence to wealthy donors and corporations, encourage negative campaigning, and weaken transparency in democracy.

Horse-Race Political Coverage

Focuses primarily on the competitive aspects of a campaign, such as who is ahead in the polls and fundraising numbers.

Policy-Focused Coverage

Concentrates on candidates' policy proposals, their potential public impact, past records, and substantive debate.

Agenda-Setting

The media's power to influence public perception of which issues are most important by increasing the amount of attention given to them.

Priming

The media's power to influence the criteria the public uses to evaluate political figures.

Framing Effect

The media's ability to shape how audiences interpret an issue by emphasizing certain aspects or perspectives.

Episodic Framing

Presents an issue through specific, isolated events or personal stories, leading viewers to place responsibility on personal failings.

Thematic Framing

Presents an issue within a broader context using analysis and statistics to highlight systemic or structural factors.

Political Socialization

The process by which people develop their political knowledge, values, identities, and behaviors.

Agents of Socialization

Factors that influence political socialization, including primary groups like family and secondary groups like school, work, and the media.

Primary Groups

Groups with face-to-face, regular interactions, such as family, which is often the earliest and most influential agent.

Secondary Groups

Broader groups that influence political socialization, such as school, work, and the media.

Impact of Identity

Salient social identities (Race, Class, Gender, Education) have a substantial impact on political engagement and opinion.

Elites

Approximately 10% of the adult population who follow politics closely.

Mass Public

The segment of the population that does not follow politics closely, is often under-informed, and frequently relies on political 'cues' from surrogates.

Political Ambivalence

The observation that the public's abstract political principles often clash with their opinions on specific policies or situations.

Political Ideology

A coherent set of ideals that forms a perspective on the political world.

Polling

Polls are not 100% accurate due to factors like sampling issues and unpredictable turnout rates.

Civil Liberties

"Freedom from government." Fundamental freedoms that protect individuals from government overreach (e.g., free speech, right to a fair trial).

Civil Rights

"Freedom to be equal." Protections against discrimination and unequal treatment, often requiring government action to ensure equality (e.g., the right to vote, freedom from employment discrimination).

Bill of Rights

Amendments 1-10 that enumerate core freedoms.

1st Amendment

Guarantees free exercise of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition.

4th Amendment

Protects against unreasonable searches or seizures; requires warrants based on probable cause.

5th Amendment

Guarantees Due Process, prohibits Double Jeopardy and Self-Incrimination.

8th Amendment

Protection from Cruel and Unusual Punishment.

Barron v. Baltimore (1833)

The Supreme Court originally held that the Bill of Rights applied only to the federal government, not to the states.

Incorporation

The legal principle by which the Supreme Court began applying most of the Bill of Rights' protections to the states.

Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857)

Ruled that African Americans, whether enslaved or free, were not citizens and had no rights under the Constitution.

13th Amendment

Abolished slavery.

14th Amendment

Defines citizenship and guarantees Equal Protection and Due Process under state law.

15th Amendment

Guaranteed the right to vote regardless of race.

USA PATRIOT Act (2001)

Passed after 9/11, it greatly expanded law enforcement surveillance tools, raising questions about balancing security and 4th Amendment privacy rights.